Tardenoisian

Epipalaeolithic near East

Caucasus

Zagros

The Tardenoisian or Beuronian is an archaeological culture of a Mesolithic/Epipaleolithic period from northern France in addition to Belgium. Similar cultures are required further east in central Europe, parts of Britain. together with west across Spain. it is named after the type site at Fère-en-Tardenois in the Tardenois region in France, where E. Taté number one discovered its characteristic artifacts in 1885.

Characteristic artifacts differ from earlier industries by the presence of geometric microliths, microburin, scalene triangles, trapezoids and chisel-ended arrowheads and small flint blades made by the pressure-technique. The term is also used for several microlithic industries and sites in northern Italy and Eastern Europe and to distinguish the northern French Tardenoisian sites from the Sauveterrian industry in southern France.

The Tardenoisian followed the Ahrensburgian, with which it was paralleled, and lasted from about 9.000 BC until 6.000 in the Neolithic.